{"id":298678,"date":"2023-12-20T15:38:58","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T15:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=298678"},"modified":"2023-12-20T15:38:58","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T15:38:58","slug":"toto-wolff-makes-weird-lewis-hamilton-comment-when-reflecting-on-2023-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/racing\/f1\/toto-wolff-makes-weird-lewis-hamilton-comment-when-reflecting-on-2023-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Toto Wolff makes ‘weird’ Lewis Hamilton comment when reflecting on 2023 season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lewis Hamilton commits to Mercedes until 2025<\/h3>\n

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the United States Grand Prix was the team’s best race of the season – despite Lewis Hamilton being disqualified after the race. The Austrian accepts it is “weird” to pick the race in Austin as their best of 2023 after Hamilton was stripped of his P2 finish.<\/p>\n

The British driver was disqualified due to excessive wear on his skid block, which is a plank on the bottom of the car ensuring it sticks to the minimum ride height. The FIA said the rule breach, which also impacted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, was “probably a result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the Sprint race schedule that minimised the time to set up and check the car before the race”.<\/p>\n

At the time, Wolff admitted: “Others got it right where we got it wrong and there’s no wiggle room in the rules. We need to take it on the chin.” And now, with the season over, he says it was the Silver Arrows’ best weekend of a difficult year.<\/p>\n

Despite seven-time world champion Hamilton losing his points from the race, he qualified P3 for the Saturday Sprint race and finished second in that. George Russell started, and ended, in eighth in the Sprint while he crossed the line in fifth in Sunday’s Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

And Wolff explained to Mercedes’ YouTube channel: “This might sound weird because we got disqualified, but Austin. We brought an upgrade package that worked, the car was performing well and we were hunting down the leader.<\/p>\n

DON’T MISS: <\/strong> Toto Wolff explains Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s biggest challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“You could say, \u2018Well, you were disqualified for a car that was too low\u2019, but the genuine performance was there and that was an enjoyable weekend. I’ve always said that I’d rather have a fast car that we haven’t tuned in the right way.<\/p>\n

“And obviously, you need to finish. But that was the [best] weekend overall, seeing the correlation between the wind tunnel and the track was good.”<\/p>\n

Mercedes ultimately ended the season three points ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship to clinch second behind the ultra-dominant Red Bull but they suffered a winless year despite their eight podiums. Hamilton proved superior to team-mate George Russell with six podium finishes to his countryman’s two, ending 59 points clear in the drivers’ standings.<\/p>\n

Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news<\/strong><\/p>\n